Sheet-separating device



(No Model.)

N. E. PUNK'.

sEEET SEEAEATING DEVICE.

No. 538,251. Patented Apr. 30, 1895.

iUICW IIIIIII. nIllllllllllil UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

NELSONE. FUNK, OF ELKHART, INDIANA.

SHEET-SFARATING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 538,251, dated April30, 1895.

Application filed January 27,1894l Serial No. 498,229. (No model.)

To @Z whom it may concern-H Be it known that I, NELSON E. FUNK, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Elkhart, in the countyof Elkhart and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Paper-Feeding Machines, of which thefollowing is aspecification.

My invention relates to that class of machines for feeding sheets ofpaper and similar -material arranged in quantities upon a support ortable for either ruling, printing or otherwise operating upon the same.

My invention is better adapted to different materials and differentconditions of material than are other machines employing some of theinstrumentalities employed and not broadly claimed by me.

The object of my invention is primarily to provide a machine which willoperate to firmly hold the bottom sheets of the pile at the rear endthereof by a novel means, While the top sheet may be easily pulled awayfrom the pile in any well know or preferred manner.

The object of my invention is furthermore, to provide a machine of fewand simple parts, easily adjusted and repaired, and effective andreliable in operation whether few or many sheets are placed upon thetable; and my improvement consists in various improved parts andcombinations of parts hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawingsz-Figure 1, is a side elevation of a machineembodying my inventions with the frame partly broken away at its forwardand upper end; Fig. 2, a plan of the same, and Fig. 3, a detail of thecutting disk and sliding block to which the same is attached.

The frame A consists of side pieces A A2, bolted to the base or tosuitable transverse pieces not shown.

A vertically adjustable table Bis su pported and guided between the sidepieces A', A2, which holdsa sufcient quantity of paper piled in sheetsto be acted upon at one run of the machine. The table B, has transversecleats b, at its endsand under side and also has transverse plates b',b2, upon its under side and arranged closely in rear of the forward andrear standards of the frame side pieces A', A2, which serve to sustainthe weight of thetable and prevent it from swinging forward. Suspensionboltsc, c', are screw threaded and pass through the ends of the plateso',

b2, and are fitted at their lower ends with nuts c2, for theiradjustment and at their upper ends with eyes c3 to receive the ends ofcables D, D, which pass over and are supported upon small sheavepulleys, at the upper ends and corners of the frame and pass downwardlyand forwardly to sheave pulleys E, supported upon a shaft c, held inbearings a, at the lower and forward ends of the frame standards, thesaid sheave pulleys being arranged in pairs upon opposite sides of theframe standards to prevent their interfering one with the other. Theshaft e of the sheave pulleys may be operated at suitable intervalseither by an attendant or from a driving shaft of the machine in anywell known 0`r preferred manner.

The table B, has a longitudinal slot b3, extending fro'm the middleportion nearly to the rear end thereof, and an adjustable standard F,having an upright f, of T shaped cross section, and a base f', restingupon the table and receiving a bolt and nut f2, which passes through theslot and base and is thereby adj usted and held thereon. The transverseplate f3 of the standard F, bears against the rear end of the materialpiled upon the table and holds it in a true vertical line and servesalso to guide a block G dove-tailed to fit and slide freely thereon. Astud pin 3, is secured to and projects from the side of the block G, andcarries a rotary disk or disks H, which latter is thus held at all timesand permitted to rest with sufcient weight upon the upper and rear endof the pile of paper upon the table, and additional weights g', g2, maybe placed upon the block G, to hold the cutting disk H, down withincreased force to pass through other kinds of material.

A ratchet wheel I, issecured to the hub of the disk H, and a pawl K,supported upon the free end of a rocking arm K3, turning upon the pin 3,and partly rotates the diskl H, at suitable intervals to cut through theupper sheet of the pile in time to admit of its being freely drawn fromthe forward end by means hereinafter described without permitting theIOO other sheet or sheets below to be drawn along with the upper sheet.

The rocking arm K3, is adjustably connected by a sectional extension rodK held together by a set screw 7c, with an eccentric 7a2, secured to andturning with a driving shaft L supported in bearings Z, at the upper andforward end of the frame, and driven in any well known or suitablemanner, from the machine of which this is an attachment. Upon the shaftL, are also secured two independently moving arms M, M', either or bothof which may be adjusted by means of collars m, and set screws m', in awell known manner, to 0S- cillate freely upon the shaft, and eachcarrying at its rear end a freely revolving friction wheel N, N', whichrests upon the side margins of the upper sheet of paper and is caused torevolve by means of a train of gear wheels O, O', O2, O3, with the shaftn of the said friction wheels thus imparting to them a uniform equal andpositive motion and causing them to draw the upper sheet of paper byfrictional contact with a firm and steady movement to the forward endand away from the cutting disk or disks at the rear end of the machine.

It will be seen that the gear wheel O, is secured to the driving shaftand the gear wheel O3, is secured to the shafts n, of the frictionwheels and together with the intermediate gear Wheels O', O2, alsosupported by studs upon oscillating arms M, M', move freely andindependently with said arms to permit the rubber wheels to bearindependently of each other upon the margin of the paper and at the sametime be driven at a uniform speed.

The forward ends of the arms M, M', have counter balance weights P,adjustably secured thereon which will so balance the weight of thefriction wheels N,N, that each may bear upon the paper with suchdelicacy of touch as to cause each succeeding upper sheet only to bedrawn forward by the friction rollers; the weight of the cutting disks Hbeing also so adjusted as hereinafter described to secure acorresponding delicacy of pressure upon the rear edge of the said uppersheet and permit it to be more freely pulled forward, a positive cut inthe upper sheet having been secured by the short positive rotation ofthe cutting disk as hereinafter described by means which also adjustthemselves with the free downward movement of the cutting disks and thegravity block G upon which one of said means are supported. This niceadjustment of the friction wheels and cutting disks, to rest upon thesuccessive upper sheets with a uniformity of pressure will continuewhile a more delicate self adjustment of the table with the load ofmaterial upon itis admissible without frequent changing of theadjustments of the machine from time to time because of the frictionwheels and paper holding and cutting disk adjusting themselvesindependently of the table adjustment. The paper is carried away fromthe machine and delivered to the printing press or place where it is tobe operated upon by a belt R, or other suitable conveyer after it hasleft the friction or presser rolls.

The operation of the machine will be readily understood. frorn theforegoing description which in detail has been described in connectionwith the several instrumentalities peculiar to my invention.

The intermittent rotary cutting disk or disks H, are not required to belifted from the paper and when in operation will cut clear through theupper sheet as it revolves and as the paper is withdrawn, while withother rotary spur wheels the paper is held firmly down by the spur orbearing point,7 or non-penetrating point to tear out a chip from theedge of the paper while the rotation of the spur wheel or the lifting ofthe paper holder is caused to allow the preceding chip to be removedfrom the sheet of paper upon which it rests.

The independent vertically adjustable friction rollers, each drivenpositively at a uniform speed performs a most important function in theproper working of a machine requiring such nice adjustments.

The independently moving friction feed rollers, may be driven morepositively with greater uniformity and precision by the gearing attachedto the shaft upon which the roller bearing arms are supported, than bybelts and independently non-concentric shafts varying constantly thetension upon the belts as the rollers rise and fall to adjust themselvesto the varying height of the pile of pa per upon the table, and theadjustment of both the table upon which the paper rests and the frictionfeed rollers and gravity paper holder have not been heretofore usedtogether to act conjointly and provide not only an exceedingly sensitiveand delicate self adjustment of the friction feed rollers and paperholder, but also permit a much l'arger quantity of paper to be placedupon the table without affecting the delicacy of action of the paperfeeding and holding devices, and without requiring frequent changing ofthe adjustment of the machine.

I do not broadly claim or use a non-revolv ing gravity paper holdingcutter, or a revolving non-cutting paper holder. Neither do I claimsingly or broadly any other of the instrumentalities herein shown anddescribed.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A paperfeeding machine comprising a table to receive a quantity of sheets ofpaper or similar material, a feed mechanism to act upon said material atthe forward end of the machine, and an intermittently rotated cuttingdisk resting continuously thereon to cut through the upper of saidsheets near the rear edge thereof when turned, and to cut through theremainder of the' material at the edge of the upper sheet by the pull ofthe feed mechanism, substantially as described.

2; A paper feeding machine comprising a IOC IIC

'table to spport the sheets of paper or simii In testimony that Iclaim-the foregoing as4 lar material, a feed mechanism to act upon myinvention I have signed my name in the ro the material at the forwardend of the mapresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

chine, a rotary cutting disk H, ratchet wheel 5 I, pawi K, rocking armK3 blockGr supported NELSGN E. FUNK.

in standard F, an adjustable connecting rod Witnesses: and a drivingshaft for operating the same, GEORGE OLTSGH,

. substantially as described. O. B. REICHELT.

